1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives, which have pesticidal activity. In particular, the novel 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives of the present invention have fungicidal activity. The preparation and use, in agriculture and horticulture, of agrochemical compositions containing these novel fungicidal 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives is also disclosed. In addition, novel methods of preparing the 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives of the present invention are disclosed.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known in the art that certain thiazolidine derivatives such as those disclosed in GB-013723 have insecticidal properties. Further, it is known in the art that compounds which do not have any substituents at the 5-position of the thiazolidine ring or those that are monosubstituted or lower dialkyl substituted can be prepared using substituted hydrazines derived from a dithiocarbazate salt, R3NHNHC(xe2x95x90S)Sxe2x88x92M+, as a starting material according to Brown et al. xe2x80x9cStructure and Antimicrobial Activity of the 3-Aminorhodanines.xe2x80x9d J. Org Chem. Vol. 24. (1959), pp. 1056-1060, J. Org Chem. Vol. 26. (1961), p. 5103, JP-A-1986-200978, and Talukdar, P. B. xe2x80x9cStudies on Dithiocarbamates, Part I. Some Derivatives of Rhodamime.xe2x80x9d Indian J. Appl. Chem. Vol. 28. (1965), pp. 197-202. In the case of 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives, however, when their substituent is an aryl group, cyclization to a thiazolidine ring is very difficult to achieve by known methods and side reactions occur during the cyclization reaction.
In view of the prior art at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art how the desired 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives having fungicidal activity could be provided.
In accordance with the present invention, 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives are provided having the formula: 
wherein
R1 is selected from the group consisting of C1-C6 alkyl, C1-C6 haloalkyl, C1-C6 cycloalkyl, and optionally substituted phenyl;
R2 is selected from the group consisting of C2-C6 alkyl and phenyl substituted by An;
A is each independently selected from the group consisting of H, halogen, C1-C6 alkyl, C1-C6 haloalkyl, C1-C6 alkoxy, C1-C6 alkenyloxy, C1-C6 alkynyloxy, nitro, optionally substituted amino, C1-C6 alkylthio, C1-C6 alkoxycarbonyl, phenoxy, phenyl, optionally substituted pyridyl, optionally substituted thienyl, and optionally substituted furyl;
n is 0-5;
X is selected from the group consisting of O, NH, Nxe2x80x94OH, optionally substituted arylimino, optionally substituted alkylimino, optionally substituted carbamoyloxyimino, optionally substituted acyloxyimino, and optionally substituted aroyloxyimino;
Y is selected from the group consisting of O, S, Nxe2x80x94OH, optionally substituted arylimino, optionally substituted alkylimino, optionally substituted carbamoyloxyimino, optionally substituted sulfamoyloxyimino, optionally substituted aroyloxyimino, optionally substituted alkoxycarbonyloxyimino, optionally substituted alkylhydrazono, optionally substituted phenylhydrazono, and alkylsulfenyl; and
Z is optionally substituted phenylamino.
The present invention also relates to the preparation of these compounds. Further, the present invention is directed to agrochemical compositions comprising as an active ingredient at least one of the novel 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives of the present invention, as well as to the use of these active ingredients or compositions for pest control, and, in particular as fungicides useful in agriculture and horticulture.
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.
For purposes of the present invention the general terms used hereinabove and hereinbelow have the following meanings, unless otherwise defined:
Alkyl groups are, in accordance with the number of carbon atoms, straight-chain or branched and will typically be selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, n-amyl, tert-amyl, 1-hexyl, and 3-hexyl;
Cycloalkyl groups are generally selected from the group consisting of cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, and cyclohexyl;
Halogen and halo substituents are selected from the group consisting of fluoro, chloro, bromo, and iodo, with fluoro, chloro, and bromo being the preferred substituents;
Haloalkyl may contain identical or different halogen atoms, typically selected from the group consisting of fluoromethyl, difluoromethyl, difluorochloromethyl, trifluoromethyl, chloromethyl, and trichloromethyl;
Alkoxy is typically selected from the group consisting of methoxy, ethoxy, propyloxy, isopropyloxy, n-butyloxy, isobutyloxy, sec-butyloxy, and tert-butyloxy, while methoxy and ethoxy are preferred alkoxy substituents;
Aryl is typically selected from the group consisting of substituted phenyl, substituted naphthyl, furoyl, thienyl, a six-membered heteroaromatic ring system such as pyridyl and pyrimidyl, a five-membered heteroaromatic ring such as thiazoryl, oxazoryl, pyrazoryl, thiadiazoryl and oxadiazoryl; and
Aroyl is typically selected from the group consisting of substituted benzoyl, furancarbonyl, thiophenecarbonyl, and a six-membered heteroaromatic carboxylic acid residue such as nicotinyl and pyridyl.
The present invention is directed to 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives having the following formula: 
wherein
R1 is selected from the group consisting of C1-C6 alkyl, C1-C6 haloalkyl, C1-C6 cycloalkyl, and optionally substituted phenyl;
R2 is selected from the group consisting of C2-C6 alkyl and phenyl substituted by An;
A is each independently selected from the group consisting of H, halogen, C1-C6 alkyl, C1-C6 haloalkyl, C1-C6 alkoxy, C1-C6 alkenyloxy, C1-C6 alkynyloxy, nitro, optionally substituted amino, C1-C6 alkylthio, C1-C6 alkoxycarbonyl, phenoxy, phenyl, optionally substituted pyridyl, optionally substituted thienyl, and optionally substituted furyl;
n is 0-5;
X is selected from the group consisting of O, NH, Nxe2x80x94OH, optionally substituted arylimimo, optionally substituted alkylimino, optionally substituted carbamoyloxyimino, optionally substituted acyloxyimino, and optionally substituted aroyloxyimino;
Y is selected from the group consisting of O, S, Nxe2x80x94OH, optionally substituted arylimino, optionally substituted alkylimino, optionally substituted carbamoyloxyimino, optionally substituted sulfamoyloxyimino, optionally substituted aroyloxyimino, optionally substituted alkoxycarbonyloxyimino, optionally substituted alkylhydrazono, optionally substituted phenylhydrazono, and alkylsulfenyl; and
Z is optionally substituted phenylamino.
The compounds of Formula 1, which are 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives, one of substituents of which is an aryl, may be prepared as shown in Scheme 1 and Scheme 2 below. 
wherein,
R1 is selected from the group consisting of C1-C6 alkyl, C1-C6 haloalkyl, C1-C6 cycloalkyl, and optionally substituted phenyl;
R2 is selected from the group consisting of C2-C6 alkyl and phenyl substituted by An;
A is each independently selected from the group consisting of H, halogen, C1-C6 alkyl, C1-C6 haloalkyl, C1-C6 alkoxy, C1-C6 alkenyloxy, C1-C6 alkynyloxy, nitro, optionally substituted amino, C1-C6 alkylthio, C1-C6 alkoxycarbonyl, phenoxy, phenyl, optionally substituted pyridyl, optionally substituted thienyl, and optionally substituted furyl;
M+ is an ion form of a metal or tertiary amine;
n is 0-5; and
R3 is optionally substituted phenyl.
As shown in Scheme 1 the chloronitriles 4, which are prepared directly by the reaction of alkyl aryl ketones with trimethylsilyl cyanide in the presence of titanium tetrachloride or by the chlorination of cyanohydrins are reacted with the dithiocarbazate salts 3 in an organic solvent such as methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, acetonitrile, ethyl acetate, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, ether, tetrahydrofuran, benzene, chloroform, dichloromethane, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and others at 0xc2x0 C. to reflux temperature to provide the 3-substituted amino-4-imino-thiazolidine-2-thiones 5.
These resulting 3-substituted amino-4-imino-thiazolidine-2-thiones 5 are hydrolyzed with a diluted mineral acid such as hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid at 0xc2x0 C. to reflux temperature in a mixture of water and an organic solvent such as methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, acetone, tetrahydrofuran, or dioxane to provide 2-thioxo-thiazolidin-4-ones 6. The 2-thioxo-thiazolidin-4-ones 6 are transformed to the ethyl sulfenium salts 7 with triethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate in an organic solvent such as methylene chloride, chloroform, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, and others at 0xc2x0 C. to reflux temperature. The replacement of the sulfenium group of the ethly sulfenium salts 7 to a hydroxyimino group 8 is carried out by the reaction of the sulfenium group with a hydroxylamine salt and a base such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, triethylamine, pyridine and others in a solvent such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, methylene chloride, chloroform, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, ether, DMF, DMSO and others at 0xc2x0 C. to reflux temperature.
The hydrolysis of the hydroxyimino derivatives 8 to the thiazolidine-2,4-diones 9 was carried out with a mineral acid such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and others in a solvent such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, DMF, DMSO and others. The thiazolidine-2,4-diones 9 may also be directly prepared by the reaction of the 2-thioxo-thiazolidin-4-ones 6 with an oxidizing reagent such as silver nitrate in a mixture of water and an organic solvent such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, dioxane, or tetrahydrofuran.
In an alternative method, the thiazolidine-2,4-diones 9 may be prepared from the reaction of thiocarbazates 11 with chloronitriles 4 in an organic solvent such as methanol, ethanol, propanol and others, followed by hydrolysis of the intermediate 4-iminothiazolidine-2-one 12 as shown in Scheme 2. 
The introduction of further substituents into the 2 or 4 position of the thiazolidine ring may also conveniently be carried out by using amines and isocyanates to the corresponding imino or oximino or sulfenium derivatives as shown in Scheme 3 and Scheme 4 wherein,
R1 is selected from the group consisting of C1-C6 alkyl, C1-C6 haloalkyl, C1-C6 cycloalkyl, and optionally substituted phenyl;
R2 is selected from the group consisting of C2-C6 alkyl and phenyl substituted by An;
A is each independently selected from the group consisting of H, halogen, C1-C6 alkyl, C1-C6 haloalkyl, C1-C6 alkoxy, C1-C6 alkenyloxy, C1-C6 alkynyloxy, nitro, optionally substituted amino, C1-C6 alkylthio, C1-C6 alkoxycarbonyl, phenoxy, phenyl, optionally substituted pyridyl, optionally substituted thienyl, and optionally substituted furyl;
M+ is an ion form of a metal or tertiary amine;
n is 0-5;
R3 is optionally substituted phenyl;
R4 to R9 are selected from the group consisting of lower alkyl, C3-C6 cycloalkyl, optionally substituted phenyl, alkylamino, and optionally substituted phenylamino; and
R10 to R11 are lower alkyl typically selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, n-amyl, tert-amyl, 1-hexyl, and 3-hexyl. 
As shown in Scheme 3, the 3-substituted amino-4-imino-thiazolidine-2-thiones 5 is converted into the corresponding 4-oxyiminothiazolidines derivatives 14 with a hydroxylamine salt in an organic solvent such as methanol, ethanol, dioxane or other organic solvent. The carbamoyloxyimino derivatives 15 are prepared by the reaction of the 4-oxyiminothiazolidines 14 with substituted isocyanates in the presence of tertiary amines such as pyridine, triethylamine, and 1,8-diazabicyclo [5,4,0] undec-7-ene (DBU) in an organic solvent such as chloroform, dichloroethane, benzene, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, ethyl acetate, and DMF at 0xc2x0 C. to reflux temperature.
The 4-substituted iminothiazolidine derivatives 13 are prepared by the reaction of the 3-substituted amino-4-imino-thiazolidine-2-thiones 5 with primary amines in an organic solvent such as methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, DMSO, DMF, chloroform, dichloroethane and others at room temperature to reflux temperature.
The 4-acyloxyimino or 4-benzoyloxyimino or N,N-disubstituted carbamoyloxyiminothiazolidines 16 are prepared by the reaction of the 4-oxyiminothiazolidines 14 with the corresponding acyl halide or benzoyl halide or N,N-disubstituted carbamoyl chloride in the presence of tertiary amines such as triethyl amine, pyridine, DBU or an alkali metal salt such as potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate or a metal hydroxide in an organic solvent such as chloroform, dichloroethane, benzene, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, ethyl acetate, and DMF at 0xc2x0 C. to reflux temperature.
Turning now to Scheme 4, the 2,4-diiminothiazolidine 17 are prepared by the reaction of the ethyl sulfenium salts 7 with amines in the presence of a base such as aqueous sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, triethylamine, pyridine, DBU and others in water or an organic solvent such as methanol, ethanol, phentydrone (THF), dioxane, DMF, and DMSO. 
The 2-carbamoyloxyiminothiazolidines 18 are prepared by the reaction of the hydroxyimino group 8 with substituted isocyanates in the presence of tertiary amines such as pyridine, triethylamine, and DBU in an organic solvent such as chloroform, dichloroethane, benzene, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, ethyl acetate, and DMF at 0xc2x0 C. to reflux temperature.
The 2-acyloxyimino or benzoyloxyimino or N,N-dialkylcarbamoyloxyiminothiazolidines 19 are prepared by the reaction of hydroxyimino group 8 with an acyl chloride or benzoyl chloride or N,N-dialkycarbamoyl chloride in the presence of tertiary amines such as pyridine, triethylamine, DBU or an alkali metal salt such as potassium carbonate or sodium carbonate in an organic solvent such as chloroform, dichloroethane, benzene, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, ethyl acetate, and DMF at 0xc2x0 C. to reflux temperature.
The 2-sulfamoyloxyiminothiazolidines 20 are prepared by the reaction of hydroxyimino group 8 with an N,N-alkylsulfamoyl chloride in the presence of tertiary amines such as pyridine, triethylamine, DBU or an alkali metal salt such as potassium carbonate or sodium carbonate in an organic solvent such as chloroform, dichloroethane, benzene, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, ethyl acetate, and DMF at 0xc2x0 C. to reflux temperature.
Surprisingly, it has now been found that the novel compounds of Formula 1 have, for practical purposes, a very advantageous spectrum of activities for protecting plants against diseases that are caused by fungi. The compounds of Formula 1 can be used in the agricultural field as active ingredients for controlling plants pests. These novel compounds are distinguished by their antifungal activity at low rates of application, by being well tolerated by plants and by being environmentally safe. These 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives are useful as fungicides and are used for protecting numerous cultivated plants.
Specifically the 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives of Formula 1 provide the control of diseases caused by a broad spectrum of plant pathogens in the ascomycete, basidomycete and oomycete classes. In addition, the 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives of the present invention are effective in controlling a broad spectrum of plant diseases, particularly foliar pathogens of ornamental, cereal, vegetable, fruit and field crops. The 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives of Formula 1 may be, for example, effective against the following phytopathogenic fungi: Alternaria brassicola, Botrytis cinerea, Cercosporidium personatum, Cylindrocladium parasiticum, Didymella byroniae, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, Peronospora tabacina, Phytophthora infestans, Phytophthora megasperma, Plasmopara viticola, Pseudopernospora cubensis, Puccinia recondita, Pythium aphanidermatum, Sclerotium rolfsii, Septoria nodorum, Venturia inaequalis and species related to these pathogens.
The 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives of Formula 1 are normally used in the form of compositions and can be applied to the crop and/or plant to be treated, simultaneously with or in succession with other compounds such as fertilizers, micronutrient donors or other preparations which influence the growth of plants. The 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives of Formula 1 can also be selectively combined with herbicides, as well as, insecticides, other fungicides, bactericides, nematicides, molluscicides or mixtures of several of these preparations and, if desired together with further carriers, surfactants or application promoting adjuvants employed in the art of formulation. It has been found that the mixing of the 5,5-disubstituted thiazolidine derivatives of Formula 1 with other fungicides results, in some cases, in unexpected synergistic fungicidal activity.